Niccola is a registered NZ Occupational Therapist, a Member of Occupational Therapy New Zealand/Whakaora Ngangahau Aotearoa and mother to three school aged children.  Niccola is passionate about supporting children to be the best they can be, and to build confidence in all areas of a child’s life and learning. It is this passion that led Niccola to retrain as an Occupational Therapist following a successful career in investment bank marketing in London and New York.

Niccola has been a member of The Kids Place team since 2016 and has a special interest in babies, pre-school and school age children and the underpinning skills for learning and play. She is also interested in how children process and respond to sensory information.  As a mother Niccola has first hand experience of specific learning difficulties and how these can impact all aspects of a child’s life from academic achievement to self esteem. Niccola enjoys working as part of a team along side whanau and with other interested parties (like pre school or school) to advocate for the child and integrate the skills learned at the clinic into daily life.

Niccola uses research to inform her practice decisions and her recent training includes:
– Difficulties with Handwriting – New Zealand Association of Occupational Therapists August 2021
– Is It Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)? And what to do about it! – The Inspired Treehouse August 2021 
– Te Rito Occupational Therapy Course – September 2021

Niccola was also the recipient of the OTNZ-WNA Aotearoa Graduate Award, awarded to the graduate who achieves the highest academic achievement during their degree.